Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert got no headlines in
either Israel or Russia out of his two days of talks in Moscow
this week, a trip which may have been his last as Israeli leader
– though under Israel’s unsettled political circumstances, who
knows?
    “You tell me,” Olmert said, with a half-chuckle when
reporters travelling with him asked him if he thought it would
be his last diplomatic trip on Israel’s behalf. “In retrospect
you may just one day say, hey this was the prime minister’s last
trip.”
    Olmert officially quit his post last month in the shadows of
a corruption probe, but has stayed on as caretaker prime
minister, a job he will keep until either a new government is
formed or a national election is held, a process that could take
weeks or even months.
    Russia’s President Dmitry Medvedev seemed keenly aware
Olmert may still be around for a while as Israel’s head of
government. He insisted Olmert visit this week, the Israeli
leader said, despite the fact Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni,
chosen by the ruling party to succeed Olmert, was already trying
to build a new governing coalition. Pundits give her a fair
chance of succeeding, but if she doesn’t, a new parliamentary
election would be held, probably early next year.
    Though clearly busy with efforts to bail out Russia’s ailing
banks in the throes of a global financial crisis, Medvedev
hosted Israel’s leader for two hours of talks at the Kremlin on
Tuesday. Medvedev told Olmert, in front of myself and other
reporters, that Russia was interested in continuing to play an
important role in the Middle East.
    But Medvedev was apparently not forthcoming with
promises sought by Olmert that Russia would avoid selling any
advanced weaponry to Israel’s enemies, Syria and Iran.
    Olmert put a happy face on assurances he said he did win
from Moscow, telling reporters travelling with him that Medvedev
pledged Russia would never compromise Israeli security.
    On Iran, Olmert ducked my question about whether Russia had
indicated it would agree to impose fresh sanctions on Tehran to
halt its plan to pursue nuclear enrichment.
    He replied vaguely he had heard strong condemnations from
Russia of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s frequent
anti-Israeli remarks, and added that “Russia is not interested
in seeing a nuclear Iran. You could say the (Russian) president
was very attentive to the potential dangers if this programme is
not stopped.”
    Unlike Olmert, most Israeli media saw no diplomatic
breakthrough in his visit to Russia, as evidenced by the inside
page treatment Olmert’s visit received.
    Roni Sofer, diplomatic correspondent for Israel’s popular
news Web site, Ynet, focused his column on Olmert’s reply to
Sofer’s query on whether the Israeli leader would be seeking
God’s forgiveness — alluding to corruption allegations Olmert
has denied — on Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, which
began on Wednesday at sundown.
   Olmert said he was preparing for the holy day “in which we
all beat our breast and repeat our prayers of forgiveness.”
   “But as far as anything personal goes, I think I’ve already
made enough declarations to satisfy your curiosity.”
   What do you plan to do once you’re no longer prime minister,
another reporter pressed him at the same briefing in a hotel
library overlooking the Kremlin walls.
    Olmert replied: “I guess I’ll have the time then to consider
what it is I will do.”